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While Everton will be firmly fixed on steering away from relegation danger in the Premier League and returning to prominence after a tumultuous few years, manager Sean Dyche would also be wise to keep the faith with the club's prestigious Finch Farm academy.

The outfit has brought through numerous high-profile talents over the years, notably Wayne Rooney, who burst onto the scene as a prodigious teenager and earned a £27m transfer to Manchester United in 2004.

More recently, the likes of Anthony Gordon and Ross Barkley have risen through the youth ranks on the blue half of Merseyside, and the Toffees might have the latest member of an illustrious belt of talent in teenage full-back Mathew Mallon.

Who is Mathew Mallon?

The Liverpool-born defender joined the Goodison Park side's academy at the age of four, since rising the ladder and has now made his debut for the U21s, where he clinched an assist against Arsenal for David Unsworth's side.

Listing his 'pace, strength, defending and crossing' as his standout attributes, Mallon has now chalked up 43 appearances for Everton's respective youth outfits, scoring twice and supplying three assists, with Liverpool Echo reporter Sam Carroll stating he's "impressive every time I've watched him,"

The 19-year-old is yet to make his senior debut for his Premier League side, but given the right-back's dynamism and blend of qualities, he could soon wedge his way into Dyche's first-team plans.

In 2022, there were rumours that Mallon was poised to make a permanent switch to Blackburn Rovers, but soon after the ace penned his first professional contract with Everton, with Director of Football Kevin Thelwell saying:

"He has a strong mix of strengths that are needed in the modern-day full-back and we look forward to him continuing his progression on the next chapter of his journey."

Everton's right-back department currently boasts Nathan Patterson and club captain Seamus Coleman as the first-team candidates, but given the latter is approaching the twilight phase of his career, Mallon could soon earn the opportunity to impress.

What has Seamus Coleman achieved at Everton?

Coleman might be approaching his 35th birthday and playing a remarkable 15th season in the Everton shirt, but he is not done yet and earned a new contract with the club this summer, keeping him on the books until the end of the season.

The stalwart has made 409 appearances and has contributed 28 goals and 32 assists since joining from Republic of Ireland side Sligo Rovers in 2009 under the management of David Moyes.

The 68-cap international has been hailed for his performance against title-chasing Arsenal only last season, with FourFourTwo's Mark White saying the 34-year-old "locks up every left-winger Arsenal ever throw at him."

As per WhoScored, the £55k-per-week right-back has averaged an impressive career pass success rate of 79.9% across the duration of his professional career for Everton and Ireland, also making one interception, 1.7 tackles and 1.9 clearances per game.

Also still ranking among the top 7% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year, as per FBref, Coleman is a tenacious and composed presence at the back, excellent at sweeping away danger.

Big boots to fill, but Mallon is embracing the all-encompassing role of a full-back and will now be pushing to take the veteran's baton and cement a starting berth in Dyche's team in the future.

He's very much in the maiden stage of his career, but Mallon could be a shrewd, homegrown option to lead from the back at Goodison Park for years to come, emulating club icon Coleman who very much boasts similar traits.

غادر لاعب فريق نهضة بركان المغربي، حمزة الموساوي، مباراة فريقه الجارية حالياً أمام الزمالك، ببطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية، وذلك بعد حصولة على البطاقة الحمراء.

ويلتقي الزمالك مع نهضة بركان، على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي، في إياب نهائي كأس الكونفدرالية للموسم الحالي 2024.

وتدخل الموساوي بشكل قوي وعنيف على لاعب الزمالك أحمد سيد زيزو في الدقيقة 90+3، ليقرر حكم اللقاء عيسى سي إشهار البطاقة الحمراء بشكل مباشر.

طالع أيضاً.. فيديو | أحمد حمدي يغادر مباراة الزمالك ونهضة بركان مصابًا

وكان أحمد حمدي قد سجل هدف تقدم الزمالك أمام نهضة بركان في أحداث الشوط الأول للمباراة وتحديدًا في الدقيقة 23.

وكانت مباراة الذهاب قد انتهت بفوز نهضة بركان على الزمالك بهدفين مقابل هدف، في المواجهة التي أقيمت يوم الأحد الماضي في المغرب. طرد حمزة الموساوي في مباراة الزمالك ونهضة بركان

With a first-innings lead already under their belt, declaration wasn’t a priority for the Vidarbha batsmen who piled on 277 runs in 94 overs on the penultimate day to put their side on course to securing a semi-final berth.

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2017PTI

Centuries from Faiz Fazal and Apoorv Wankhade swelled Vidarbha’s lead to 501 as they finished on 431 for 6 at stumps against Kerala on the fourth day in Surat. With a first-innings lead already under their belt, declaration wasn’t a priority for Vidarbha who piled on 354 runs in 94 overs on the penultimate day to remain on course for securing a semi-final berth.Having finished on 77 for 1 on day three, Vidarbha captain Fazal converted his overnight half-century into a 209-ball 119 – his 16th first-class century – adding 90 for the second wicket with Akshay Wakhare, who could only add 23 runs to his overnight score of 7. Fazal, however, stitched together another 74 runs with Wasim Jaffer (58) for the third wicket, before being caught behind off left-arm spinner KC Akshay, who also dismissed Wankhade towards the end of the day. Having come in at No. 6, Wankhade raced to his maiden first-class century that anchored a 135-run stand with Ganesh Satish (65) and culminated in a 94-ball 107 that featured six fours and five sixes.Offspinner Jalaj Saxena accounted for three of Vidarbha’s top five, while medium-pacer MD Nidheesh picked up the solitary wicket of Jaffer off his 18 overs. Vidarbha’s Akshay Wadkar and Karn Sharma kept vigil on at stumps with an unbeaten 20 and 4 respectively.

Ben Raine is a combative soul, a sort of Ben Stokes type without the England caps, the headlines and the penchant for street theatre. Almost single-handedly, he has challenged the notion that Northants are about to pip Nottinghamshire for promotion and that Leicestershire are condemned to a winless season.Raine played age-group cricket with Stokes at Durham. Even on such days like this, he will probably insist that he would love to be compared to him. He struck 59 to prevent a rout and then took four wickets to invite hopes of a transformation beyond belief. Hopefully he followed up with an early night and a cocoa.Until Raine’s intervention, it had taken less than 17 overs for two facts to be gleaned from an extraordinary first session at Grace Road: firstly, Leicestershire, barring miracles, were likely to endure a winless season, and Northants’ promotion challenge was still very much alive.Or, as their former England batsman Ben Duckett neatly put it on Twitter, as he missed the match through injury: “COME ON THE CHUBSTERS!”After little more than an hour of coming and going, Leicestershire were 26 for 7. You don’t want a home match in late September, with the toss regulations as they are, when you are adrift at the bottom of the table.Leicestershire avoided a historic low as Raine rallied but even he could not entirely offset a day that ended with Northants leading by 71 with two wickets remaining. But he certainly irritated a side that had anticipated far greater riches.Now for the arithmetic, sort of. Northants, third, have Nottinghamshire, in second, in their sights. A Notts win would end Northants’ challenge, but Notts are in disarray at Hove. If Notts escape with a draw, that will probably suffice for them. If Notts lose and Northants beat Leicestershire, the Chubsters are First Division-bound.This, it should be stressed, is the same Northants side which Peter Moores, the Notts coach who has led the county to both limited-overs trophies, and who had reason to anticipate a treble only a few weeks ago, would issue with lifestyle sheets and impose punishment runs if they were ever caught watching The Great British Bake Off. This is also the Northants side which, according to the analysis favoured within the Test match counties, supposedly just concentrates on T20 and doesn’t care two hoots for the Championship. There’s that theory gone then.Leicestershire’s flimsy resistance will doubtless attract criticism. Their very name invites greed among some business types who just want to close them down and divide out the proceeds. Their recent record is not much of a case for the defence. But the ground itself is much improved – quietly attractive on a decent autumn day – and there is a yearning for self-improvement. What’s not to like?What was not to like was Leicestershire’s batting, even allowing for a humid morning during which the ball swung persistently, if not extravagantly. From the moment that Michael Carberry was struck in front by Ben Sanderson’s outswinger, they were up against it, Sanderson and Richard Gleeson going on to take five wickets apiece.The debutant, Sam Evans, got the most savage delivery – one from Gleeson that jagged back ferociously to take the inside edge – Ned Eckersley and Aadil Ali missed inswingers from Sanderson to be lbw and Mark Cosgrove played on as he drove at a full-length ball from Gleeson. Add Lewis Hill’s curious walking shot and the best delivery of the lot, which left Neil Dexter to uproot his off stump as he played to leg, and 26 for 7 it was.One of Duckett’s fellow chubsters, the veteran South African allrounder, Rory Kleinveldt, had given Northants a fighting chance of promotion when he took a career-best 9 for 65 against Nottinghamshire at Wantage Road last week. Kleinveldt must have sensed a further bounty on a bowling morning at Grace Road, but perhaps he was over-ambitious because he was stretching gingerly in the warm-ups and then broke down with a side strain after only 11 deliveries.That left Northants’ resources under strain – Luke Procter, on loan from Lancashire, was third seamer and was to bowl four overs for 27 as Raine joined Zak Chappell in a facesaving stand of 68 for the eighth wicket. No repeat then of Leicestershire’s 25 against Kent in 1912, their lowest Championship score, or more recent embarrassments – 34 against Essex on a dodgy park pitch at Southend or 43 against Worcestershire last season.Things might have been worse for Leicestershire. Raine was dropped on 15 at second slip by Richard Levi, off Gleeson, and Chappell should have been comfortably run out on 5, only for wicketkeeper David Murphy to fumble a gentle throw from the bowler’s end.Northants looked solid shortly after tea, 90 runs to the good, Procter and Rob Newton well set. Raine removed them both, Procter for 82, had Simon Kerrigan lbw for nought, second ball, and ensured no act of courage from Kleinveldt, whose appearance at No 9 lasted four deliveries. Not for the first time, he looked full of competitive edge.Poor lad. All his career, Raine has probably wants to be compared to Stokes and it had to happen on a day like this.

Ben Duckett made an unbeaten 92 off 54 balls as NatWest T20 Blast title holders Northamptonshire Steelbacks stepped up their challenge in the North Group

ECB Reporters Network05-Aug-2017
Ben Duckett helped produce a power-packed end to Northants’ innings•Getty Images

Ben Duckett made an unbeaten 92 off 54 balls as NatWest T20 Blast title holders Northamptonshire Steelbacks stepped up their challenge in the North Group by beating Worcestershire Rapids by 21 runs at New Road.Duckett and Steven Crook thrashed 106 in the last 7.3 overs to lead the Steelbacks to 195 for 4 and Worcestershire, after being up with the rate in the first half of their innings, were held to 171 for 6.Northants got off to a flier at the expense of debutant George Scrimshaw. Richard Levi pulled and drove two fours, as well as punching a three through cover, and the opening over cost 19 in all as Adam Rossington waded in with two boundaries.Levi went for 18, playing across the line to John Hastings, and Rossington was looking for a sixth boundary when he departed for 26, a pull off Mitchell Santner picking out Alex Hepburn at deep midwicket.Brett D’Oliveira then dragged the rate back still further in a straight-through stint of 2 for 27 in four overs.Alex Wakely was in a two minds when he checked a charge down the pitch, only to be bowled by the leg-spinner, and Rob Keogh provided a straightforward lbw decision as he swept across a straight ball.At 89 for 4, the Steelbacks were in danger of losing their way, but Duckett and Crook, as they done in the past on this ground, launched a withering response.Duckett contented himself with half-a-dozen fours in reaching 50 in 39 balls but jacked up the pace when clearing the rope off Joe Leach and then pulling consecutive sixes off Hastings in the closing over.The left hander finished with nine fours and three sixes and Crook’s unbeaten 34 from 19 balls contained four fours and a six.Worcestershire comfortably outscored the Steelbacks through the six-over Powerplay, but only the overseas players, John Hastings and Mitchell Santner, sustained the chase for any length of time.Hastings, fresh from a half-century against Birmingham Bears on Friday, hit two sixes in romping to 35 from 19 balls but was then bowled by Richard Gleeson.With Joe Clarke and Ben Cox falling cheaply, the Rapids looked to Santner for something substantial. The Zealander delivered to an extent, making 38 until he was brilliantly caught by Saif Zaib on the midwicket boundary.This was one two wickets for Ben Sanderson and Mohammad Azharullah landed a double in dismissing D’Oliveira and Ross Whiteley. Daryl Mitchell and George Rhodes could only play out time in an unbroken half-century partnership.

Everton are believed to be interested in signing versatile Juventus centre-back Koni De Winter during the summer transfer window, according to a new update.

Who is Koni De Winter?

The 21-year-old joined Empoli on loan last summer in order to pick up some much-needed experience at the top level.

De Winter started 12 games in Serie A in 2022/23 and made 14 appearances for Empoli in total, but he is now back at Juve and weighing up his future. His current deal in Turin doesn't expire until the summer of 2026, but that doesn't mean that a permanent exit is out of the question.

It could be that Juventus find it difficult to promise him regular playing time moving forward, so a move away good could ultimately aid him in his career, allowing him to become a genuine key man.

Everton are in the market for a new centre-back this summer, especially having opted against making Conor Coady's loan move from Wolves permanent beyond the end of last season, and it looks as though they could be turning their attention to De Winter.

Could Everton sign Koni de Winter?

According to Tutto Juve [via Sport Witness], the Blues have "inquired" about the availability of the Belgian youngster as Sean Dyche looks for summer reinforcements. Lille are also mentioned as being interested in signing the Juve man, who has returned from his summer holiday and is knuckling down ahead of the 2023/24 season.

It is stated that Juve do think highly of him, which could act as a blow to Everton's hopes of snapping him up before the new season gets underway, with the Serie A giants happy to keep hold of the defender, seeing him as a bright long-term prospect. The Blues are keen on "furthering the discussions" over a move in the coming weeks, though.

Everton's squad felt a little old at times last season, with the likes of Coady, Seamus Coleman and James Tarkowski being relied on too often – the trio played 85 times between them in the Premier League – so it is perhaps vital that fresh blood is injected into the squad this summer.

Centre-back De Winter could be perfect in that respect, coming in as an exciting young option with a high ceiling, having won 14 caps for Belgium's Under-21s, while his versatility – with Massimiliano Allegri seeing him as a right-back option – offers another potential asset to Everton.

Last season, he averaged a sizeable 4.5 clearances per game for Empoli – only Tarkowski (5.2) and Michael Keane (4.6) averaged more for Everton – while he also completed 85.5% of his passes, showing that he is capable in possession, too.

The key to the whole saga could be Juventus' willingness to allow De Winter to move on, and if the player himself sees a long-term future and a regular path into the first team there. The promise of potentially being more of a key figure at Goodison Park could hopefully sway his thinking, although it isn't easy for anyone to leave one of the biggest clubs in Europe, where there is always a good chance of winning trophies.

Liverpool have been strongly linked with a move for Romeo Lavia this summer and now a new update has emerged on the club's pursuit of the midfielder ahead of next season.

How much will Romeo Lavia cost?

According to Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Liverpool are in "concrete" talks to sign the Southampton midfielder.

Plettenberg took to Twitter to reveal: "Talks between Liverpool & Lavia are concrete and ongoing. Understand there is no agreement in terms of salary conditions yet.

"As reported: His price tag is around £50m Klopp wants him! Very press-resistant player – even in high-pressure situations, he loses the ball only once out of 10 times."

It was reported earlier this week that Liverpool were prepared to wait to sign Lavia in a bid to convince Southampton to lower their expensive £50m asking price for their player, however, it is looking like the recently relegated club are not willing to budge on their valuation.

As a result, FSG must sanction the move and put their trust in Jurgen Klopp to develop Lavia into another superstar that can bring more success to the Merseyside giants in the future, just like the German coach has done many times before.

How good is Romeo Lavia?

The Reds have already secured deals for two explosive attacking midfielders, with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai both joining the squad at Anfield, however, bolstering the deeper roles in the midfield set-up would be advantageous.

There has been mounting speculation that Thiago Alcantara could be making an exit this summer; the Liverpool star is now in the last year of his contract and interest could present an opportunity to cash in, paving the way for Lavia to replace him.

When comparing the positional peers' outputs over last season, the Saints talent came close to Thiago in several key attributes including pass completion rate (86.2% v 86.2%), progressive passes (102 v 120), blocked passes (22 v 22), shot-creating actions (41 v 41) and aerial duels won (41.2% v 36.8%), as per FBref.

The Manchester City academy graduate has already started to earn high praise for his influence at St Mary's, with former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes lavishing Lavia with compliments on his deep-lying playmaking skills:

"He has got a pass in his locker and he is big and strong and likes to defend. He does not want to get forward too much and sits in front of the back four and sets the play in motion from there."

Whilst Rio Ferdinand also had a positive opinion on the player:

"He is a young player who can do both sides of the game, equally good defensively but also once he is one the ball he has tremendous feet and can pass it."

Fabinho and Stefan Bajcetic have returned to pre-season training and are expected to stay at the club for next season, so should Thiago depart in the coming weeks it would make more sense for the Belgian midfielder to replace him whilst Bajcetic continues to compete to be the successor to his Brazilian teammate.

With that being said, the signing of Lavia would be a big addition for Liverpool in their pursuit build a midfield for the future and if Lavia can continue his development he could be an incredibly valuable Thiago replacement.

Sarah Taylor remains in contention for the Women’s World Cup in June and July, according to head coach Mark Robinson, despite her omission from a 24-player training camp in the United Arab Emirates next month.Taylor, arguably one of the most talented female cricketers in the world, has not featured for England since their defeat to Australia in the World T20 semi-final in Delhi 12 months ago.

England Squad

Heather Knight (captain), Anya Shrubsole (vice-captain), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Georgia Elwiss, Tash Farrant, Jenny Gunn, Alexandra Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones, Beth Langston, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield, Danielle Wyatt, Georgia Adams, Hollie Armitage, Alice Davidson-Richards, Sophie Ecclestone, Evelyn Jones, Emma Lamb, Linsey Smith.

She took a break from cricket last year to undergo treatment for anxiety issues, and though she has returned to training with the England squad, the management are keen not to rush her back into the team before she is fully ready.”Sarah Taylor is going really well at the moment and is back in training,” said Robinson. “Her return is a graduated one which is regularly reviewed as she works herself back to hopefully full fitness. There are no timescales in place for her, but her goal is still to give herself the best chance of being able to play in the World Cup.”The squad, which will be led by Heather Knight, includes 17 of England’s centrally-contracted players, alongside seven members of the England Women’s Senior Academy players.Their UAE trip will include several inter-squad matches, alongside three 50-over matches between an England XI and their Irish counterparts, at the Sheikh Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi on April 24, 26 and 28.”This is an exciting step in the build-up to the World Cup,” said Knight. “We’ve begun to show who we are as a side over the past year and we’ll continue to work hard and continue to progress.”We are looking forward to getting back outside and testing ourselves against Ireland. I’m sure there will be a few of the squad who will be keen to see who comes out on top when we play each other as well.”Robinson, who maintains that England are still a work in progress as they continue to rebuild with a new-look squad, was enthusiastic about the tour, which will be England’s first engagement of 2017.”The trip will give us the opportunity to play some internal games to get us back playing competitive cricket,” he said. “With places up for grabs, the players will start the process of building a case for selection this summer.”Having some of the Academy players with us is exciting as we are always looking for opportunities to increase their learning and exposure.”Ireland joining us will give us some different opposition and hopefully we can play our part in giving support to one of the Associate countries.Cricket Ireland Performance Director Richard Holdsworth said: “We are very grateful to the ECB for agreeing to play three matches against an England XI. These matches will not only serve as very useful preparation for our Quadrangular Series in South Africa, but also an excellent development opportunity for our players.”

Keaton Jennings has been appointed as Durham’s Royal London One-Day Cup captain for 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2017

Keaton Jennings has been appointed as Durham’s Royal London One-Day Cup captain for 2017.Jennings, whose captaincy experience will be extended by leading England Lions in Sri Lanka next month, will lead Durham for the duration of the 50-over competition, which begins against Derbyshire at Emirates Riverside on April 27.The shift of the competition to the first half of the season enables Jennings to lead Durham before the start of England’s Test summer, which in 2017 does not begin until South Africa play at Lord’s on July 6.Jennings stood in as Durham captain in the same format last year in the absence of Paul Collingwood, and has now been given the job on a permanent basis.All-rounder Paul Coughlin has been appointed as Jennings’ vice-captain while Collingwood will continue as the Specsavers County Championship skipper.Jennings, Durham’s club’s Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year, said: “It’s one of those dreams as a young boy, you want to lead your side so it’s an honour to lead Durham this year.Head coach Jon Lewis said: “Keaton has developed immensely over the last 12 months, not only as a player but also as a leader in the dressing room, and he has commanded the respect of the dressing room. This new role reflects his standing in the side and we are confident he can lead us forward in the 50-over competition.”He was highly impressive when he stepped in to the role last season and has already started to build up experience of handling the responsibilities that come with being a captain.”Even with possible England commitments, we are likely to see Keaton for the entirety of the tournament and we feel this is another important step forward in his career.”Jennings will also captain the North side in the inaugural North vs South series, which takes place in the UAE in March.

Manchester United enjoyed a successful 2022/23 campaign and achieved their goal of securing Champions League football under Erik Ten Hag, which will make them an appealing destination for prospective transfer targets this summer.

The Dutchman also led his side to Carabao Cup glory against Newcastle United alongside an FA Cup final, where the Red Devils were edged out by Manchester City.

Now, the focus for Manchester United will be trying to bring in high-profile stars and Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount is said to have agreed terms over a move to Old Trafford.

One other target who has been linked with a move to the Premier League giants is Atalanta forward Rasmus Hojlund, who could form a deadly duo with Manchester United starlet Alejandro Garnacho in attack next season.

What's the latest news on Rasmus Hojlund and what could he bring to Old Trafford?

According to talkSPORT, Manchester United are planning to accelerate their pursuit of Hojlund this summer as Ten Hag looks to sign two forward players in the off-season.

The report states that he may cost around £40 million and he has earned comparisons to Manchester City star Erling Haaland due to his goalscoring exploits and ability in the air.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Dean Jones has stated his belief that Hojlund and Garnacho could gel to great effect at Manchester United, saying: "If United sign him, they've got the chance to fully reveal his capabilities under Ten Hag and unleash a frontline that is fit for a bright future. If you've got Garnacho on one wing and you've got Hojlund coming into the middle, you're starting to make a dream partnership here for the future."

Atalanta manager heaped praise on Hojlund earlier this year and compared him to Haaland, as per The Sun, claiming: "The characteristics are very similar, especially in accelerations. He is a very fast player, he does the 100 metres in less than 11 seconds. For his height, he has a low centre of gravity and an incredible stride frequency. I'm convinced he will have a great career. Technically, he always shows different and better things."

It is easy to see why Hojlund, who has been hailed as "better than Vlahovic", has heralded such acclaim in recent times, given that he registered 16 goals and seven assists combined in 2022/23 with Atalanta and former club Sturm Graz, as per Transfermarkt.

WhoScored notes that he has also handled his step up to Serie A football rather well and averaged around 1.7 shots per match this term, demonstrating his ability to be a constant goal threat, something that he could continue to develop under the stewardship of Ten Hag at Manchester United.

FBRef shows that he ranks in the first percentile compared to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions in the art of progressive passes received, recording an impressive figure of 11 per 90 minutes.

Now, imagine the £9k per week star, was to join Manchester United and play alongside rising star Garnacho, who recorded ten goal contributions in total encompassing all competitions in 2022/23; five goals and five assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Unsurprisingly, Garnacho has earned praise from some high places, including Manchester United icon Paul Scholes, who complemented his capabilities as an attacking force back in January, as cited by The Manchester Evening News, stating: “But this lad [Garnacho] is direct, he doesn’t care, there’s no fear in a young player. He wants to score goals and he wants to make goals and he’s more than capable of doing it.”

Both players are seen as promising talents for the future and Manchester United boss Ten Hag could unearth a dynamic pairing in attack for future years by signing Hojlund this summer.